Nuclear waste is frequently packaged in drums which have lids that must be breached in order to test and vent head space gases. In the nuclear waste disposal industry, storage drums are used which have air spaces between the lid and waste that over time can accumulate hazardous gases. In order to legally ship these drums safely, these gases must be sampled and vented. Currently, drum lids are vented by using a bung vent filter or other screwed in venting filter. If the drum is already vented, and only needs to be sampled for gases, the drum vent must be removed or punctured in order to obtain the gas sample. Alternatively, a drum vent system such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,669 is used, and then another vent is installed through the lid of the drum while the sample is being obtained. If the drum has a liner, it is also necessary to puncture the liner in order to obtain a sample of any gases trapped between the liner and the stored nuclear waste. If for some reason the drum head space has to be sampled again, the entire procedure must be repeated and another hole put into the drum lid, or another filter replaced. Thus, the current procedures for venting and sampling drums are time consuming and somewhat complex.